HIPCHIK Home expands Andrea Rosenberg’s edgy vision (and brand)

Since its start in 2011, the HIPCHIK brand has been devoted to edgy jewelry with an underlying elegance.

Launched in October of that year, Andrea Rosenberg’s line of Boho-chic necklaces and bracelets quickly developed a devoted following.

The one-of-a-kind creations featuring crystals, agate and rhinestones have become go-to accessories, scooped up by everyone from the savvy patrons of The Hampton Classic Horse Show to the fashionistas who seek out her work at the boutiques that count among Rosenberg’s 100-plus vendors.

What was started for fun soon became a passion that continues today.

“I breathe it,” she says. “I wake up, design and sell it.”

Rosenberg is all about the jewelry – and vice versa.

“Everybody kind of loves my label,” she says on a recent morning. “I’m trying to trademark the name.”

And, she adds with a laugh, “People call me the HIPCHIK now.”

The bold approach typified by that signature jewelry has come home, so to speak, with the May 1 opening of HIPCHIK Home in the heart of Armonk’s shopping district.

Rosenberg, herself an Armonk resident, is in the midst of settling into the new venture designed to expand the HIPCHIK brand, a step that’s taking the home décor-and-accessories route.

It has been a natural progression.

“Design is my passion. I’ve renovated three homes of my own, so this is my dream come true.”

But don’t think traditional napkin rings, staid pillows and nondescript utensils – this is the HIPCHIK’s store, after all.

As Rosenberg, who always has had an affinity for home design, says: “I have a classic taste, but I have a little edge.”

And even the most cursory glance around the airy slip of a space makes that abundantly clear, from the tiniest detail.

Take the paper napkins, for example. Yes, everyone’s seen “Keep Calm and Carry On” merchandise – but how about “Now Panic and Freak Out”?

Then there is the international flair offered up by a set of liqueur glasses that sport phrases ranging from “Salute” to “Cheers” to “Prost.”

There are slate boards you can write on with chalk, pointing you to the aged cheddar or the Brie.

“It could be a cheese platter, a coaster, a cutting board,” Rosenberg says. “It’s a good item.”

There’s a decanter with the most intricate silver-filigree pattern, a hammered bowl enlivened with leather handles and seemingly hefty ceramic serving pieces that actually turn out to be the most practical Melamine. Standard flatware has no place here. Instead the utilitarian objects are most artistic with acrylic handles in a rainbow of hues. Even the placemats are unique thanks to fanciful beading.

There are patterned glasses, Rosenberg’s most popular segment, and frames, coasters and candles, serving trays, vases and pillows.

Oh, the pillows. These sport phrases that have attitude to spare, from “Yes, dear” to “You’re right” to “Don’t tell Dad.”

The white walls themselves even boast inspirational verse, ranging from “People know you for what you’ve done, not for what you plan to do” to “Life is a stage and you only get one performance, make it a good one.”

As Rosenberg explains: “I love quotes. I’m very into quotes.”

Throughout HIPCHIK Home, there is a common thread, a definite point of view that clearly reflects Rosenberg and her sophisticated-with-an-edge approach.

It all, it must be said, comes naturally for Rosenberg.

“In my other life, I was a stylist,” she says.

Rosenberg grew up in Uruguay, then moved to Miami, where she attended fashion school and earned a degree in merchandising and design. She was involved in the fashion industry in both Miami and New York.

“Merchandising was my forte,” she says.

And here, those skills are evident. On a recent morning, Rosenberg seems to know most all the customers who steadily stream in to pick up a stylish birthday gift or lust over a work of art that commands four figures.

Since the first day, Rosenberg says, she has felt her customers connect with what she’s doing here.

“People like funky and easy,” she says. “That’s what I love.”

And Rosenberg works hard to ensure HIPCHIK Home retains its signature aesthetic.

“I go to trade shows, and I go online. I just check and look,” she says of her constant search for inventory.

If she sees everyone has something, though, she knows it’s not for her.

“I hate copying. … I want people to come here for different. That’s always been the motto with my necklaces.”

And now, that thought reflects this latest expansion of the HIPCHIK brand, summed up so perfectly by the words adorning yet another pillow – “Ready for whatever.”

HIPCHIK Home is at 381 Main St. in Armonk. For more, call 914-273-4600 or visit facebook.com/hipchikhome.

RECIPE:

Watermelon Summer Salad

HIPCHIK Home owner Andrea Rosenberg has a simple-and-easy recipe that she likes to serve as a light side for summer barbecues. Note: She is not precise with measurements but instead judges based on how many people she’s serving and which particular flavor (be it the watermelon, the feta, etc.) that she’d like to highlight. Ingredients can be cut to suit your style and combined together in a large bowl.

Ingredients:

– Watermelon

– Arugula lettuce

– Feta cheese

– Strawberries

– Sliced almonds

– Red onion

– Hint of salt and pepper

– Balsamic vinaigrette

– Olive oil.

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A career journalist, Mary Shustack has been writing features for WAG since 2011. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, her previous experience includes more than 20 years with the Gannett company.